Heart of the Matter
by MalteseKen
Summary: After the trial of the Crooked man Bigby had hoped everything would calm down but now something big is coming. Something that will take up a lot of time but will also show a side of him and Snow he never knew. Just a heads up, at some point I may introduce some characters from the Fables comic that didn't appear in the game.
1. Prologue: Dark and Stormy Night

Prologue: A Dark and Stormy Night.

_* 1 month after the trial and imprisonment of the Crooked Man.*_

Grimble groaned, his usual sleep disrupted as he heard the door open. He looked up from under his hat to see who entered. The first thing he noticed was the man was wearing a type of uniform mostly worn by delivery personal with a name tag on his chest, another thing was that he wasn't empty handed as in his arms was a large wicker basket seeming to be over-filled with a light red cloth.

"Sorry to ask but is Ms. White in her office? I have a delivery for her." The man asked, though whilst it seemed a harmless question his tone made it sound urgent.

Grimble looked at the clock in the lobby to see it was almost 10 o'clock at night. "She should still be in. Though odd for a delivery to come in so late, mind me asking what she ordered?"

"Actually this was ordered by the sheriff, it's a congratulation gift on her becoming deputy mayor after that incident with Crane and the Crooked man." The delivery man said as he called for the elevator.

Grimble nodded in agreement, lately he'd been noticing some tension between Snow and Bigby and guessed he got her a gift to make up for his behavior. "Hope she likes it." Grimple said as the delivery man stepped into the elevator.

"Yeah I hope she does." Grimble heard the man say in a quivering voice and as he looked up he caught a glance of the delivery mans face just before the door closed and Grimble could have sworn he was the guy was crying.

* * *

Will Scarlet let out a sigh of relief as the elevator door closed. He had been thinking of all the possible scenarios that could have happened in the lobby. The security guard deciding to check the basket, Bigby or Snow White coming down whilst he waited or worse, she would have woken up. He thought this as he looked down at the basket to see the sleeping face of his baby daughter.

As the elevator reached the third floor, the door opened up and he looked up to see the business office up ahead with the hallway now empty of the usual line of disgruntle fables. Seeing his chance he turned towards Bigbys apartment and made his way,he looked down once more at his daughter.

"I'm sorry this has to happen but this is the only way I can keep you safe," He said as he stood in front of the wolfs door. He lowered the basket down, he continued to speak in a hush tone both to keep waking up the girl and to ensure he didn't draw any attention to him. "As you grow up you may think life isn't fair or that you were never loved but you are loved, you were always loved and it is this love for you that I have to do this to keep you safe. I'm so sorry Alice."

He place a folded note on the side of the basket, and with one last look at his sleeping child he knocked on the door repeatedly till he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Will turned around, quickly running down the stairwell and eventually out of the lobby and into the pouring rain as he ignored Grimble calling for him to stop.

* * *

Will entered his apartment breathless both from exhaustion of running and from the pain he felt in his chest. At that point he wanted to collapse on the couch and burst into tears but there was still one thing left to do, one thing left before he can finally rest otherwise all the pain he feels would be for nothing. He walked into the small apartment towards the cupboard and opened the top drawer, of the various objects he pulled out first was a photograph. He looked at it, recalling one of the few moments in his life he felt truly happy. The photo showed him and a woman with blonde hair standing side by side as the statue of liberty was shown in the background. As he looked at it more, he thought back of everything he did and who he was, everything with his life after the exodus, his time as a thief with Robin Hood back in the homeland, even when he was growing up back in Wonderland. Not a second of those centuries could compare to the decision he was to make.

"Oh Mary, I hope you can forgive me." Will said out loud before putting the photo back in the drawer and pulling out in its place a revolver.

Will had gone through this over and over again but that didn't make this any easier. He lifted the heavy weapon to the side of his head. He continued to think of what would happen if 'She' found out about the girl and steeled his resolve to protect her.

_I'm sorry. _He closed his eyes and the last thing he heard was the click of the trigger as he squeezed it.


	2. Chapter 1: Basket Case

**Okay sorry if this is a bit short, especially considering the wait. Hope you like it and please give your opinion on what you liked, disliked and believed needed to be improved.**

* * *

Bigby swore under his breath as he was awoke from his sleep. He got off the arm chair and stretched out, letting out a yawn as he glanced down at the clothes he slept in deciding he was decent enough before going to the door.

_'Someone had better be in trouble or dead to be waking me up.' _Bigby thought as he opened the door. When he saw no one the werewolf growled under his breath in annoyance... until he could a new scent and looked down to see what it was.

_'What the hell?' _He crouched down to get a closer look at the sleeping infant. He grabbed the basket and lifted it up, impressed by how light it felt as he cradled it in his arms.

_"What idiot would trust me with a child?" _Bigby thought with a scowl just before he heard a faint gurgle emit from the basket as the child began to stir and wake up, opening its light green eyes at him. _"Crap, Don't cry. Don't cry." _Bigby thought over, so used to everyone fearing him on sight. He prepared for the child to cry out and wake a good portion of the residents in the woodlands, instead he was surprised to hear the infant let out a light giggle as if it found his usual scowl that normally unsettled fully grown fables hilarious.

"Okay that's new." Bigby said, looking over the now giggling child, "Now where did you come from?" He asked to no one in particular. The werewolf decided to check with the Snow to see if she could shed some light. As he turned to close the door of his small apartment, he noticed on the floor was a folded piece of paper. Balancing the basket in one arm, Bigby crouched down and grabbed the paper, opening it up and glancing at its contents as he stood back up.

He let out a sigh and looked at the child once more before heading to the business office, muttering under his breath, "Oh Snow's just going to love this."

* * *

"It's late Mr. Wolf." Bigby cringed as he heard the formality in Snows greeting as he entered the office, Snow just barely glancing up from the stacks of paper laid out on her desk.

"If it's that late why are you still working?" He questioned as he walked towards her, though he already knew the answer. With Snow taking the position of deputy mayor from Crane, she now has to deal with all the problems presented to her which more often included complaints from the fables and Bluebeard acting as if he owns the place.

Snow let out a sigh as Bigby stood in front of her desk. "I'm busy Sheriff so whatever the problem is, it can wait till morning." She said, exhausted from having had spend the day talking to a long line of fables and now trying to catch up with file work that Crane had neglected.

"Actually it can't." Bigby said, placing the basket on the desk. For a few seconds there was silence save for the occasional noise from the baby.

"Bigby, where did this baby come from?" Snow inquired as she got up from her chair and moved her gaze from the infant to the werewolf, the tired expression that was on her face was now replaced with one of worry.

"Don't know, found her in front of my door. "

"Her?" Snow asked, curious how Bigby could possible know the child's gender. The sheriff remained quiet and handed Ms. White a note which she read.

_To Sheriff Bigby Wolf,_

_My name is Alice._

_Please protect me._

"Protect me." Snow repeated the last line as she looked up at Bigby, "Protect her from who?"

"I don't know Snow." Bigby said glancing at the basket as he scratched his chin, his usual 'tell' when he was either upset or worried.

Snow nodded. "Head down and speak with Grimble, hopefully he can identify who it was that left this child at your door. Meanwhile me and Bufkin will check the records to see if Alice here was born in fabletown, if she was then maybe this situation can be easily solved." She said, stifling a yawn before looking over at the baby who had fallen back to sleep during their conversation.

"Great plan." Bigby said in a sarcastic tone before heading to the door, though he stopped when Snow called out. "Wait Bigby, what about the kid?"

"She'll stay here for now till I found out who left her at my door step." Bigby said as he opened the door looking back before saying "Good luck." as he closed the door.

Bigby couldn't help himself but smirk as he walked down the hall to the elevator. He figured Snow could handle the kid for a bit, besides between the two of them She had better experience with kids than him.

_"Who would be so afraid and desperate that they had to leave a kid with me?" _Bigby thought, waiting for the elevator, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it


	3. Chapter 2: The Head that Wears the Crown

**Okay, I apologize for spending practically a month on this, really need to sort out my time. But anyway hope you all enjoy it even if it may be a bit short. **

**And just to say, the title for this chapter is that because I couldn't think of anything better, you have something better I'd gladly accept it.**

**To weirdo: Thanks**

**To SeaWolfAlchemist: That answer will be answered... Eventually.**

**To Alex: I will try to keep updating.**

**To Vahti: Glad you like it, and I will try to add more content to the chapters.**

* * *

Snow White let out a sigh as Bigby closed the door. Sometimes his actions infuriated her greatly, but she knew he at least had the best interest for the community. With that she turned around towards the back of the office and called out, "Bufkin."

After a few seconds the green winged monkey appeared over the tall bookshelves as he flew down, landing gracefully on a chair facing Snow.

"Anything you need Miss White?" The Monkey asked as he landed. He looked up to the deputy mayor before he caught sight of the basket containing the sleeping infant. "Who's this?"

"Alice, Bigby found her in front of his apartment. He went down to see what he could find out about who it was that left her." Snow said as she joined Bufkin's gaze towards the child, watching as she stayed. "And whilst he's doing that, I need you to get the files regarding to recently born fables within the last few months."

"You hope that if she was born in fabletown then there would be a record on her parents?" Bufkin asked, looking up at Miss White as he guessed what her plan was.

"Exactly." Although Snow said this with confidence, she couldn't help but think; _"What if she was born in a mundy hospital?"_

"I'll check the records right away Miss White." The monkey said before flying off back towards the shelves.

Snow watched as he flew off, then returning her attention to the child.

_"First the case with the crooked man, then that incident with Crane and now this." _Snow thought to herself as she felt more of the pressure of being deputy mayor increase everyday. She'd only taken the position less then a month ago and already she was overwhelmed with the flood of complaint letters, usually regarding condition of apartments and glamours, the line of fables making appointments to air their grievances during a face to face and what seemed to be the cherry on the goddamn cake was Bluebeard barging into the office and giving out his demands as if he owned the place. And then there was Bigby, the one person she could rely on. But since what was discovered about Crane's _"activities." _Snow pushed Bigby away in a defensive reaction, adding strain to their relationship as colleagues._  
_

Snow just let out a tired sigh before sitting down in a chair and running her fingers through her raven black hair. _"God when did things get so complicated?"_

The sound of the office door opening pulled Snow out of her thoughts and back to the present as she looked up to see Bigby entering the office and approached her, his shirt speckled with drops of water indicating he had been outside.

"Bigby, where were you?" Snow asked as she rose from her seat to meet the werewolf.

"Grimble caught a glimpse of the guy's name, Will Scarlet. Found his place around the block." Bigby looked to meet Snow's eyes and said, "He's dead."

"Dead! What do you mean he's dead?" Snow asked immediately as Bigby walked towards the desk, pulling out a photo from his pocket.

"Looked to be a suicide. Place was locked from the inside and there were no other scents in there, so no one else was in there for a while." The wolf said as he glanced up the the mayor before shifting his gaze at the infant and the photo.

Snow looked over his shoulder to see the photo. It showed a man and woman side by side with the statue of liberty in the background. The two were facing the camera with smiles on their faces as if they were sharing a joke with each other. The man had pale skin, his brown hair cut short and light blue eyes seeming to look between the camera and the woman, she on the other hand had a tanned complexion, with shoulder length blonde hair and emerald eyes that shined as she was caught in mid laugh. Snow looked at the photo more and noticed that the two seemed familiar but she couldn't remember from where. She turned her sight to the sleeping infant and began to notice the similarities; like how Alice had the same pale tone as the man. How her eyes, now closed, were the same green as the woman. Even the few strands of hair on her head seemed to be a mix of the couples hairs. Snow pieced together that the couple were Alice's parents but why did Bigby have the picture? It was then that a thought came to mind, _"The man in the photo is Will."_

"Well at least we know where the kid's dad is now." Bigby said in a tired voice before putting the photo on the desk and faced Snow, "All that's left is figuring out where the mother is."

Snow sighed as she looked up to meet the sheriff's eyes, both knowing that this was probably going to be a long night.

"I'll check the book of fables, now that we know what she looks like it'd be easier to find her." Snow said as she began to head towards a large bookshelf but stopped when she heard a faint sound of wings before a familiar voice spoke.

"Miss White," Bufkin said as he landed on the floor by the two fables, file in hand. "I found the mother."


	4. Chapter 3: Blood Ties

_**Sorry it's been a while since a last posted. Hope you all enjoy it and please give me your opinion with regards to everything.**_

"What do you mean you found her?" Snow asked in disbelief as she and Bigby approached the flying monkey.

"I found the birth record of Alice, it was easy because she was one of the few female fables born outside the farm. Her parents are listed as Will Scarlet and Marian Maid." Bufkin said looking up at the Deputy Mayor and the Sheriff as he handed over the file to the two.

"Well now we know for sure Will was the father. Is there a current address listed for Marian?" Snow asked as Bigby opened the file. She glanced over his shoulder at the papers, unable to shake the feeling that she knew the fables.

"Yes...unfortunately." Bufkin said, the tone in his voice and his expression grew somber. Snow became worried by the drastic change of mood of the monkey and looked at the file. She watched as Bigby turned over a birth certificate that was in the front.

"Oh no." She muttered under her breath as she and the sheriff saw the next paper, a death certificate with the name 'Marian Maid.' "What happened to her?" Snow almost shouted as she looked between Bigby and Bufkin.

"According to Swineheart's notes here Marian died last night. Cause of death is listed as mass organ failure due to severe blood loss." Bigby said in a hollow tone as he turned the document over to reveal underneath were the autopsy photos. Snow let out a gasp and covered her mouth when she caught a glimpse of the images. Specifically a shot of Marian's face which showed blood trails leading from the woman's eyes and mouth down to her chin.

"Did Swineheart find the cause of this?" Snow faced Bufkin, turning her back to the sheriff as he closed the file.

"Not yet, he said he needed to run more tests." Bufkin answered, looking up at the deputy mayor before turning his gaze towards the basket. Snow and Bigby followed his gaze and as silence fell in the business office, one question hung in the air.

_'What to do about the girl?'_

"Okay, first things first we need to check the book of fables, hopefully Marian and Will have next of kin." Snow said, receiving agreement from the other two fables as Bufkin flew towards the back of the office to fetch the book.

"It's obvious that Will and Marian were in some kind of trouble." Bigby said breaking the silence between them as he reached into his pocket to fish out his pack of huff n' puffs.

"Seems that way." Snow agreed as she turned around. "But what kind of trouble could they have gotten into? I mean the Crooked man is imprisoned, do you think maybe he had some silent partner?"

_'Could be.' _Bigby thought as he took a few steps away from the desk and lit his cigarette, after taking a quick puff he shook his head. "Maybe, though the Crooked man didn't seem like he would have a partner."

"Right, then who could have killed Marian?" Snow said in a hushed tone as she stood by the desk looking down at the infant, surprised that despite all the talking going on, had remained asleep.

"Whoever it was, Will was scared enough to leave his daughter with me." Bigby said, dropping his cigarette to the ground and crushing it under foot before walking to Snow's side. There was a moment of silence between the two that whilst it felt like an eternity was in fact only a few seconds.

"Maybe their family can shed some light on the matter and if not at least we could find a guardian for her." Snow said softly as she faced the sheriff. For a brief moment things felt like how it was before the Crooked man's case, back when the two felt like equals. Like friends.

"Snow-" Bigby began to say but was interrupted but a loud thud that came behind them. They turned around to see Bufkin on one of the tables, obviously having done a crash landing, with a thick grey book in his arms.

"Miss. White I found the book." He said, placing it in one of the holders and opening it.

"Let's get to work then." Snow said leaving Bigby's side and making her way to the book. She turned to face the sheriff who remained by the desk. "Bigby you were saying something?"

"Never mind, it wasn't important." Bigby answered as he stepped towards the table with the other two fables. He let out a quiet sigh as he thought of everything he wanted to tell Snow before that damn monkey interrupted him.

"Let's see here." Bufkin began to say as he flipped the pages of the book for a few seconds till he landed on the pages with Will and Marian's 'stories'. The two were side by side with the only difference between them besides the content was the red 'Deceased' stamp across Marian's page.

"According to this the only living relatives Marian had was her ex-husband Robin Hood."

"Think maybe he knows what happened?" Snow looked towards the sheriff.

Bigby shook his head. "He's been in Australia for the past 40 years."

She sighed and looked back at Bufkin as he took out the stamp and marked Will's page with the identical seal as Marian's page. "What about Will?"

"Um... only relatives are his parents, George Redheart and Victoria Miller." Bufkin read out.

"Victoria Miller!"Snow exclaimed, causing the green monkey to jump with fright resulting in scattered feathers and dropped books.

"You know her?" Bigby looked at her, surprised to see her so agitated so quickly at the mention of a name.

"I know of her. She's probably the most feared fable in Fabletown." Snow said, moving towards the desk as she crossed her arms to try and calm herself.

The sheriff was taken aback by the statement. "Think she's involved."

"Good chance she is. Besides we have to inform her and George about what happened to Will." Snow said as she checked her watch to see it was close to midnight. "It's late we'll inform them of what happened first thing in the morning, they should still be living in Brooklyn Heights."

"And what about her?" Bigby said as he looked towards the still sleeping infant.

For a second there was silence between the fables. "Bigby go to the back of the Office, there should be an old crib in the back. Bring it up to my apartment." She said, picking up the basket and cradling it and Alice in her arms.

"She's staying with you?"

"For now, at least till we can find a more permanent home." Snow said quietly as she began to head to the door, gently rocking the basket to make sure the girl stays asleep.

"Snow wait," Bigby said, a question nagging in the back of his mind. "If Victoria is so bad, how come I never heard of her?"

Snow remained quiet for a second one hand just hovering over the door handle ready to open it. "That's because you know her more by her title." Snow opened the door and with one last look at Bigby said;

"The Queen of Hearts."


	5. Chapter 4: Past Portrait

**(Sorry guys, quick rant.) Okay gonna be a bit more punctual with the chapters from now on...or at least ****try**** to. All I ask in return from you guys and girls is to give me some feedback. Any kind really like whether the chapter is good or not, whether you liked a character, bad writing. Hell even just a small message saying it was good will suffice because when I post a chapter and get no feedback what so ever I feel that I did a horrible job. Anyway, now that we got that out of the way let's continue with the story shall we.**

_6:38AM_

"Sir, you're not allowed to smoke in here, Sir."

Bigby ignored the driver and lit his cigarette, leaning back into the seats of the cab and blowing a cloud of smoke out the side window. He desperately needed this to dull his senses and help block out the various scents that filled the small cab from the strong body odor of the driver to the dried up scents of bodily fluids that seemed to come from the floor.

_'I remember these things used to be cleaner.'_

"Bigby, what's the plan when we get there?" He turned to face Snow, now in her usual snowflake pattern shirt and beige suit.

_'Just like old times.'_

Bigby had to force himself not to smirkas he let out another puff of smoke. "First we inform them about Will and Marian, see how they react to it."

"And Alice. Do we mention her?"

Bigby took a final drag from the cigarette and let out a smoke filled sigh as he tossed it out the window. "Not yet, at least not until we rule the two out as Marian's killer."

"Okay." Snow said quietly, gazing out the window closest to her as the cab weaved through traffic making its way to Brooklyn Heights. There was a brief moment of silence.

"Snow, do you really think Victoria killed Marian?"

"Honestly, I won't put it past her." Snow said in a hushed tone, "Back in the homelands she was a tyrant having executed and tortured thousands of her own citizens. For a time everyone thought she was the adversary or at least working with him. Though the rumors died when she and George showed up asking for amnesty and were accepted."

_"Must have been before my time."_

"Surprised there wasn't a riot." He said, contemplating whether he can light another cigarette before they get there.

"We almost had one," Snow sighed out as she looked at Bigby, "Though we managed to stop it on the condition that Victoria never sets foot on the farm or main fabletown and that she and her husband provide an annual donation."

He was surprised to hear the restrictions placed on Victoria. "She was that bad?"

"Yeah though it could have been worse. Back when she arrived, Victoria claimed that she lost her magic during the exodus of course no one believed her until the witches on the thirteenth floor confirmed it for us. But now..."

"Wait, you think she figured out a way to get her magic back?"

"Possibly. If not maybe she has a magic item. Honestly Bigby I don't know for sure but if there's a chance she's involved then." She stopped herself, taking a deep breath to calm herself before continuing, "If she's involved and we did nothing then we would fail Marian and Will and all of fabletown."

Bigby was shocked to see how rattled Snow was, no not rattled, she was terrified.

"Snow, I-"

"Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Street. That'll be 19 dollars and 50 cents." The driver said, stopping the cab by the curb as he turned around with one hand reached out to the two.

"Come on Bigby," Snow said, regaining her composure as she handed a 20 dollar bill to the driver, "Time to meet the the Queen."

* * *

"Well, they've been doing well." Bigby said as he looked up at the Brownstone house, that whilst it look identical to the buildings next to it, he could sense the magic on the house.

"They were one of the few to get out of the homelands with their wealth intact." Snow said as the two walked up to the door and knocked. After a few moments, the door open and an older man in a dark red bathrobe stood in front of the two.

"Good morning, can I help you?" The man said with a light British accent, as he opened the door more to get a better look at the couple standing in front of him. Before either Sheriff or Deputy mayor could respond he spoke with a smile, "Ah Miss White, pleasure to see you. Are you here for the donation? Bit early in the year though."

"No George, I'm afraid Sheriff Wolf and I are here on a more serious situation. May we come in?" Snow said as the man nodded and moved back, ushering in the two. As Bigby walked in he took a quick inhale, noting the almost sterile smell that filled hallway.

"I'll go summon Victoria, she's in the garden, please make yourselves comfortable." George said as he guided Snow and Bigby to the parlor before retreating to the back of the house.

Bigby looked around the room which seemed bare save for a semi circle of 3 armchairs arranged around the coffee table facing a fireplace. Though as Bigby brought his gaze up to the wall he suppressed a laugh.

"Someone has vanity issues." he said as he eyed the portrait of a woman in royal attire, he guessed Victoria, taking up the wall.

Before Snow could add a comment the two turned around as the door behind them opened and in walked a woman followed by George.

"Good Morning Sherrif, Miss White." She said as she reached a hand out to shake. "What seems to be the trouble?"

Bigby looked the woman, Victoria, noticing the grass stains on her boots and trousers. The strong smell of roses filled his nose as she reached her hand out to him. Her shoulder length hair, a dark red almost the color of blood, stating to fade to grey around the edges. In truth if Bibgy hadn't known about her past, he would have guessed she was an average fable just past her prime.

"We're here to ask some questions regarding your son Will and his Wife Marian."

Victoria let out an exasperated sigh as she made her way to one of the arm chairs with George present at her side. "What trouble did those two get into now?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this but they're dead." Bigby said, looking intensely at the two as he saw their reactions.

George let out a gasp and covered his mouth, shaking his head as he muttered under his breath. _"He's taking it pretty hard." _Victoria on the other hand, showed no reaction to the news what so ever. No outward emotion, no change in scent, not even a single tear. Nothing.

"What happened to them?" Victoria asked, reaching a hand to George in a form of comfort.

"I'm afraid we're not sure what happened yet. I'm sorry to pry but did you know if Will and Marian were in any trouble?" Snow sat by the two as she asked.

"Not that I know off, though we haven't spoken to them since December. Isn't that right dear?" Victoria said, looking over to her husband.

For a moment, George looked back at Victoria with hesitance before looking down and saying, "Yes,that's right."

"Is that all you have to tell us?" Victoria looked between the two officials before focusing her gaze at Bigby.

"That's it for now." He said, though he noticed a flash of a smirk appear on Victoria's face before she turned to Snow.

"Then can you two leave now. We have to begin preparations for the funeral."

"Of course, we'll keep you informed when we find more information." Snow said as she stood up. "We may have more questions later though."

"Understandably. I hope you find out what happened." George said as he led the two fables out of the parlor and to the door, opening it and then closing it behind them, the heavy click of the lock setting in place filled the silence between Snow and Bigby as the walked down the stairs.

"So what do you think?" Snow asked looking at Bigby as she hailed a cab.

Bigby reached into his pocket and pulled out his pack of Huff n' Puffs. "They're hiding something Snow."


	6. Chapter 5: Into the Woods We Go

Chapter 5: Into the Woods We Go.

**I'd like to thank everyone who have sent reviews and are following the story, just grateful to know you guys are liking the story so far. Sorry this is over a week late been a bit busy with school and studies, also I have exams later in March then again in May so this story may be updated at random times. To make up for this I'll try to make these chapters longer. Also as always give back feedback please. Now let us continue this tale. **

* * *

"George was devastated to hear what happened to his son and daughter-in-law," Bigby said, stopping for a second to take a quick inhale from his cigarette. "But Victoria showed to emotion whatsoever when she heard the news, not even surprised."

"So she's involved?" Snow asked, fanning the smoke out of her face as Bigby took another puff.

"Maybe, though at the moment she doesn't have any apparent motive and we still need evidence to connect her to Marian's death." He growled in annoyance.

"So we're back to square one then?" She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose , tired both from lack of sleep and from the emotional roller-coaster this past month had been.

Bigby nodded and tossed the used butt of his cigarette out the cab window. "For now. When we get back I'll check with Swineheart about how Marian died and then I'll look into her and Will's inner circles, see if anyone had a reason to hurt them. With that we'll have some leads"

"Till then I'll try to sort out what to do about Alice, hopefully there are some couples back in Fabletown willing to look after her." Snow said, looking back at Bigby.

"Hopefully." Bigby added under his breath as a question sprung in his mind, "How did she do it?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Victoria, how did she kill people?"

Snow stayed quiet, before letting out a sigh. "She had different methods. Sometimes she would behead them, sometimes she would chain them to boats and set them on fire. I even heard the she would use poison as well. But her _favorite _way to kill was to literally rip out a persons heart." Snow said, her tone filled with disgust and hatred as she thought back to all she had heard and read about Victoria. "She used her magic when it came to that so it wouldn't kill the person instead they would be her loyal servants, unable to resist whatever order she gives. After a while she would grow 'bored' with them and crush their hearts, killing them. It's how she became known as the Queen of Hearts."

The two sat in silence as the cab continued to weave through the morning traffic on route to Bullfinch street, Bigby was stunned by what he heard, surprised to hear just how bad Victoria was.

"Wow." Was all he could say.

"She was a piece of work." Snow said, rubbing her shoulders as she felt a chill go through her despite it being late July. "But we can't use her past crimes to indict her Bigby, you know why."

"I know Snow." Bigby said rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, "Just needed to know more about her, you know what they say, Know your enemy."

"Yeah, it's just that..."

"What?"

"Just feels like what we're doing isn't enough, in less than two days we have a fable murdered, another committed suicide and an orphan, and what really troubles me is that we didn't even know of Marian's death till last night if we had learned when it happened then maybe Will would still be alive."

"Snow, it's not your fault. You're doing the best you can." Bigby reassured her.

"That's just it Bigby I'm doing my best and it's still not good enough, I've been deputy mayor for over a month and everything is still the same. The fables who need help and go through proper channels are turned down whilst those who come through the back with the wallets filled have all the time in the world. It's just... I feel like I've let fabletown down."

Bigby remained quiet, unsure how to respond to what Snow said. With a sigh he turned to face her, looking into her blue eyes.

"Snow, you just took over. Everything will get better you just need time. Besides you're the best person for the job, Lord knows I suck at the whole political thing."

She let out a small laugh as she returned her sight on her friend, "Thanks, though that's not saying much."

Bigby smiled glad to see Snow in better spirits, "Snow-"

*BANG*

The two jumped in their seats at the sudden sound, Bigby immediately turned towards the source of the noise, facing towards the taxi's front to see smoke rising from under the hood.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" The portly driver yelled, swearing repeatedly as he drove the now stuttering car out of traffic and to the curve by Central Park before proceeding to jump out.

"Is everything alright?" Snow asked as she and Bigby followed the driver out, watching as he opened the hood of the cab causing more smoke to bellow out.

"Shit. There's some kinda gunk in the engine. Gonna take a while to clean it out."

* * *

Snow looked at her watch and shook her head, turning to Bigby, "I promised Beauty I'd be back before half seven, let's cut through the park it'll be quicker than waiting."

"Sounds like a plan." He said as they began to walk through the gate, "Good luck with the engine bud." He said to the cabbie before he and Snow disappeared into the park.

"Gee thanks." The cabbie said under his breath as he pulled some of the burnt gunk out of the engine, looking at it for a second as he recognized what it was,"How the fuck did a bunch of roses get in the engine?"

The weren't even ten minutes in before Bigby noticed something wrong.

"Snow, stop for a sec." He said.

"Why?"

"Just be quiet for a moment and listen."

She did expecting to hear the usual sounds of people and cars that was permanent background noise of New York. Instead she heard nothing, no people running through the park, no car horns and the usual swearing accompanying it, no birds singing as the park filled with light, not even the gentle rustling of leaves. All she heard was her and Bigby breathing.

"It's quiet." Snow said, looking around hoping to see some reason for the eerie quiet. Everywhere she turned, all she saw were trees. "That's... That's impossible. There's always some noise in New York, and I know there's at least one mundy in the Park no matter what time."

"I know, something's not right. Let's hurry and get back to the Woodlands" Bigby said as they continued making their way through the park, his senses heightened as he searched for any threat. It was as the got halfway through that he caught a familiar scent of roses further down the path.

"I'm guessing you're the reason the park's empty?" Bigby asked, placing himself between Snow and the source of the scent.

"Simple warding charm, needed to ensure we weren't... interrupted." A light voice said as a figure appeared from the shadows of one of the trees revealing to be Victoria, now out of her simple buttoned shirt and jeans and instead in a dark purple business suit and a blood red blouse, her hair pulled back into a tight bun. Bigby grimaced as he noticed she seemed to mirror how Snow was dressed.

"What do you want?" Snow said, her voice strong with authority.

"Well isn't it obvious? I wish to make a deal darling, a parley if you will."

"Like that's going to happen. As it stands I can have you arrested right now for breaking the agreement when you came to fabletown." Bigby growled as he stared down the woman, his eyes focused to ensure she has no weapons.

Victoria glared at the sheriff, "Be silent you mongrel, the royals are speaking. Why don't you step out for a bit or better still," She raised one of her hands to Bigby, "How about you take a bath." With that She flicked her wrist to the side and before either Bigby or Snow. Bigby suddenly went sideways as if he was hit by a car, he flew through the air before crashing into the lake.

"Bigby!" Snow yelled as she watched Bigby disappear under the surface, she waited for him to rise back up, and waited, and waited. Instead she saw the surface of the lake return to its mirror like stillness.

"Now that he's out of the way," Snow turned around, watching as Victoria walked closer to her, "Let's have a chat."


	7. Chapter 6: Parley

Chapter 6: Parley

"Why did you do that?" Snow all but screamed as she kept looking at the lake, expecting at any moment for Bigby to resurface.

"He was a wildcard for this agreement, I needed to ensure he was somewhere he couldn't cause any damage." Victoria said, a cold smile on her face and arms crossed as she looked at the deputy mayor. "Besides, he also makes a decent bargaining chip."

"What do you want?"

"Right to the point I see, I like that. Here's my proposal, I will release your mutt and agree to leave New York and never return. In exchange all I ask is one thing..."Victoria moved close to Snow before finalizing her demand,whispering it into her ear. "Alice."

Snow was taken aback but quickly regained her composure, "Who?" No sooner had that word passed her lips that she found herself kneeling on the ground, clutching her throat and gasping for air as the Queen stood to the side, her hand in a claw gesture.

"Don't. Lie. To. Me." The Queen spoke slowly, moving her hand away. Snow began to cough and gasp now able to breathe properly. "I know about Alice. Now tell me where she is or not only will your precious mongrel drown but I will also kill you." Victoria said, her voice tense as if she was trying to control her anger.

"How..." Was all Snow could cough out, her throat still feeling like someone was chocking her.

"I'm guessing your trying to say 'How will I do it?' Well I suppose you deserve to know how you're going to die. Back in Wonderland there was a plant I cultivated known as 'Bloodthorn', a unique specimen that produces a potent toxin with a rather nasty effect. One drop in the system and the person dies a painful, slow death as their blood literally boils. So unless you want to end up like the bitch Marian, Give me the child."

Snow looked up to meet Victoria's gaze, a cold smile fixed on her face yet her eyes betrayed her true emotions as she glared with a look of pure hatred that could easily rival a berserk bridge troll. Snow narrowed her eyes and glared back, "Why do you want her- *cough*- so badly?"

"Let's just say there's a spell I've wanted to enact for centuries and the girl has one of the ingredients."

"You mean she _is_ the ingredient."

"Toe-may-toe, Toe-mah-toe. It's really none of your concern what happens to the child, honestly if I was you I'd be more concern with what will happen to you." The Queen said, arm raised to the side as dark red smoke appeared around her hand, completely enveloping the limb for a moment before dissipating leaving a curved sickle in hand. The dark metal shining dimly as it caught the light of morning.

"Now then by now that mutt you called a sheriff should have run out of air, so let us move from emotional leverage to old reliable... Torture."

"No." Snow could only shake her head and looked down to the ground as her mind replayed what Victoria said, specifically what happened to Bigby, _'He can't be gone, he can't.. wait!'_

"You said he drowned?" Snow looked up to Victoria's face, seeing the queen raise an eyebrow before shaking her head.

"And I thought you were the clever one. Yes Snow White, your precious pet has drowned, is that so hard to believe?"

_'Yes.'_ Snow thought as she looked passed Victoria and focused on the lake again, the surface still flat and undisturbed, reflecting back the cloudless sky. _'Come on Bigby. Prove her wrong." _Snow watched as ripples began to form. _'Bigby.'_

"Why are you smiling? Have you accepted your fate?"

"No, actually I want to tell you a story." Snow look away from the lake and back at Victoria. _'Keep her busy Snow, just till Bigby gets here.' _"You probably already know the tale, it's about a girl in red and a wolf."

"I'm familiar with the tale, every fable is. In brief the wolf ate the girl, a drunk woodcutter sliced him open and saved the girl, the wolf is filled with stones and tossed into a river and everyone who matters lives 'happily ever after.' Why pray tell is that of any importance?"

"You skipped the end. Where the wolf held his breath for twelve days at the bottom of the river."

Victoria was shocked and realizing she had made a miscalculation turned around to face the lake only to come face to face with a dripping wet sheriff. His features now more wolf-like as his eyes glowed a solid amber, his teeth lengthen to resemble fangs and his bare arms now covered in a layer of thick hair ending at his hands that looked more like claws. Victoria took a step back, the sickle falling from her hand and landing with a dull thud on the ground. The confidence she had left her, replaced with uncertainty as she met the eyes of the werewolf in front of her.

"You threw me into a fucking lake." Bigby yelled as he took a step closer the Queen. He looked towards Snow, shocked to see a bruise mark around her neck. He faced Victoria baring his fangs and growling deeply, "You bitch."

"Well, seems I no longer have the advantage. Till we meet again." Victoria said calmly, raising her hand to her chest as red smoke rose from around her feet and the sickle, wrapping around her as it spiraled upwards.

"Hey!" Bigby yelled as he thrust his hand into the pillar of smoke expecting to grab the witch only to instead grab the air in front of him as the smoke dissipated. "Damn it."

"Bigby, are you okay?" Snow approached the werewolf, watching as his heavy breathing began to slow down before he turned to face her, his features having returned to normal as he looked at her with hazel eyes.

"Fine,just pissed off." He growled as he reached into his pocket to grab a much needed cigarette, only to pull out a soaked through pack now useless to him. "And wet." He muttered under his breath before returning his sight to Snow, concern returning as he spotted the fading red marking along her neck, "Are you?"

Snow placed her hand gently on her neck, already feeling the dull pain begin to subside. "I'll be alright. But now we have more important matters to deal with." She said, as she told Bigby what had transpired while he was underwater. "-so now I think it's best for us to split up. Cover more ground so to speak." Snow concluded as she watched Bigby shift his weight from one foot to the other, obviously uncomfortable but whether it was due to how Victoria came close to killing the two or that he was in soaking wet clothes, was a mystery to her.

"I'll head back to her home. By now she and George will be long gone but at least I might find some clues on where she might be going or what her next plan will be. And you should head back to the Woodlands, check with witches about how Victoria suddenly has her powers back." Bigby said, absently scratching his neck. "I know it's not much of a plan."

"It's the best plan we have for now. Just... Stay safe."

"You too." Bigby said before turning around and heading back down the path they came by. Snow waited a few seconds before she turned and continued on to the Woodlands, hoping in the back of her mind that Victoria wasn't there.

* * *

"Snow are you okay?" Snow looked up and let out a quiet sigh of relief as she entered her apartment, seeing Beauty placing a book by her side as she rose from the couch, in front of her a crib which Snow could tell by the soft sound of laughter currently held Alice.

"I'm fine Beauty, thank you again for looking after Alice." Snow said, giving Beauty a reassuring smile as she lead the fable out of the door.

"It was no problem Snow. Glad I could help." Beauty smiled as she looked back towards the crib before leaving, closing the door behind her.

Snow stayed behind the door, waiting until she heard the soft 'ding' of the distant elevator before turning around and approached the crib. She heard a light noise as the child spotted Snow approaching, a smile on her face as she bounced around in the crib. Snow looked at Alice and couldn't help but think, _'So young...and so alone.' _She let out a sigh before she sat down on the couch and grabbed the phone, dialing a number she practically memorized from her years working as Crane's assistant. When she heard the click as the other line was answered she didn't wait for a response; "Frau Totenkinder, We need to talk."


	8. Chapter 7: Curiouser and Curiouser

** Sorry I took over a month to update, been busy with family, exams and minor technical difficulties but I will try to be more consistent with updates. So anyway thanks for your patience and all the recent Follows and faves you guys have done for me. Anyway comment review time;**

**jas: Glad you like the story, and about the couch thing...We'll see.**

**eigomi: Will try to keep updating more regularly.**

**Lady Asphodelic: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. And thank you for telling me (at least in your opinion) that everyone is still in character, that had me worried more than anything.**

**Finally I'd appreciate more feedback on the chapters please.**

**Now then, Let us continue with the show.**

* * *

"Well?" Snow let that question hang as she watched Frau Totenkinder, the older fable's keen eyes were fixed between the green garment she was knitting and the young child who had fallen silent as she watched the witch's wrinkled hands work the knitting needles. There was silence between them all save for the almost rhythmic click of Totenkinder's needles.

"I'll admit, I sense the girl does have potential for magic," The witch began to say, looking up to Snow. "But, it's too early to tell whether it is because she is gifted with spell-craft or it's simply due to her lineage."

"Her lineage?"

"Yes child, the royal family of Wonderland were often gifted with magical powers such as clairvoyance or prophecy. However it'll be years maybe decades before the true nature of her gift is revealed."

Snow ignored the child comment from the old woman as she began to think, "So she has magic. Is that why Victoria wants her dead?"

Frau Totenkinder shook her head as she set down the half-made garment she had been working on. "Honestly I'm not certain. It could be because she has magic but it could also be because she's an infant and innocent, or due to her now being the Queen's only living blood relative. There are hundreds of reasons for Victoria wanting the girl dead and with each reason there are literally thousands of spells which require specific body parts."

Snow couldn't help but shiver as she felt Totenkinder gaze at her, remembering the sheer power the witch had and more specifically the ritual she had to preform back in the homelands to keep the power. She close her eyes and forced her mind away from the horrible images she had began to picture, when she opened her eyes she focused her sight away from Totenkinder and back to Alice who seemed to have grown bored of the witch. "We'll have to use the Mirror to find her before she has a chance to go after Alice."

"I'm afraid not, back in the Homelands Victoria was adept at using cloaking spells. Using them to aid in her and her husbands escape from the Adversary's sorcerers, so to be under the assumption she won't use them against us is, to put it lightly, naive."

Snow was shocked to hear this but quickly hid her surprise and thought for a few seconds before asking, "What can we do to protect her?"

Totenkinder smirked as she grabbed her yarn filled bag by her side and rose to her feet from the couch with more speed and grace than any mundy elder. "The thirteenth floor will work on protection charms to keep Victoria away from the house you plan on dumping the child in. However, it will take some time and will come at quite a cost."

"We'll sort the price later, I'll inform you when I've found a suitable guardian for Alice." Snow began to explain as she lead Totenkinder to the door, opening it before stepping to the side. "Until then I'd like you and the other residents of the thirteenth floor to figure out how Victoria regained her magic and what spell she's planning to cast."

"We'll start looking into the matter Miss White. Also before I forget, congratulation on ascending to the post of deputy mayor." The witch said with a small chuckle as if she had just said a joke. "Thank you." Snow muttered under her breath and shuddered as she closed the door behind Totenkinder, deeply unsettled as the news she had just been told began to set in. "Best continue the calls." Snow said to herself, half hoping that focusing on work would help calm her nerves as she sat down on the couch, grabbing the phone by her side and the small pile of papers she had been working on. Her blue eyes looked up from the list of names and glanced at the small child in front of her who was now inspecting the various soft toys in her crib before tossing them to the side one after the other. Snow couldn't help but smile as she watched Alice grab a small grey wolf plush and instead of tossing it away as she did with the other, placed it by her side before continuing to go through the remaining toys. _'I hope she goes to a good family.' _Snow thought as she examined the list of fables willing to look after orphans, though it hadn't been needed since the early 40's. Remembering who she called last and where to continue from, she wrote a small note by one of the names. _'Okay, Mr and Mrs Web said they're going to think about it. Next to call is the Greene family.'_

She didn't manage to dial the second half of the number before a loud knock startled her. She froze and looked to the door, worry setting in as she wasn't expecting anyone else for some time.

"Snow, you mind if I come in?" Snow let out a sigh of relief as she heard Bigby's gruff voice from behind the door.

"Sure, the door's open." She called back, placing the phone in hand back on it's stand. _'I'll call the Greenes later.' _"Did you find anything in their home?" She got up and faced the opening door to see Bigby balancing what looked to be 2 cardboard storage boxes with one hand whilst the other opened the door. As he walked in, closing the door behind him with a soft kick, Snow noticed how he was no longer dripping wet and he had a third box, smaller than the other two, tucked under his arm.

"By the time I got back she and George managed to clear out and take everything that wasn't nailed down with them. I found these in one of the backrooms." Bigby explained as he placed the boxes on the coffee table and opened the two storage boxes, Snow moved to his side to see the contents of the two boxes.

"How did she get these?" Snow said shocked as she pulled the papers out of the boxes, seeing they were all transfer request forms Fables filled out when they wanted to move away from Fabletown. Snow examined the ones she grabbed to see that despite the different dates, they were all identical right down to Crane's signature and the red "Declined" mark across the paper. But the one detail that shocked her the most was the name of the fable who made the requests; Marian Maid.

"Who would have access to these documents?"

"Everyone who works in the business office so me, Bufkin and-" Snow froze as her eyes focused on the final signature on each paper, "-And Crane." She said quietly as it dawned on her how Victoria got her hands on the papers.

She wasn't the only one to realise this, as she heard Bigby growl under his breath, "That son of a -"

"Bigby." Snow interrupted, glaring at him in warning to watch his mouth in front of Alice.

Bigby took a slow inhale before sighing, "Sorry Snow." He grumbled.

"Just watch what you say around the kid."Snow said as she gazed back at the boxes, looking through the documents seeing that they were all practically identical. _'Why does she have these in the first place?' _Snow thought as she kept going through them till she spotted one that drew her attention. The first difference she noticed as she pulled the page out of the pill was that whilst the others were in pristine condition, this document looked to have been crumbled up and folded repeatedly before someone tried to flatten in out. The other difference she saw was that instead of the usual dark red "Declined" stamp that they all had, this one had a green "Approved" mark across it and Crane's signature had been replaced by her own.

"Snow, you okay?" Bigby's gruff voice shook her from her thoughts, she looked up to meet the concerned look on her friend's face before looking down to the silent infant. "Snow?"

"They were trying to leave Fabletown." She said quietly.

"Yeah, though Crane was stonewalling ever request they made. They weren't able to leave."

"As of 3 days ago they were," Snow said as she handed the paper to Bigby. "I approved their transfer." She watched his face as he read through the document, she closed her eyes when she heard him sigh deeply, "Snow, it's not your fault."

"Of course it is if I hadn't approved the transfer form then Victoria won't have killed Marian, Will won't have shot himself and Alice wouldn't have become an orphan." Snow raised her voice slightly, looking at the small child who sat in her crib unaware that she would never see her parents ever again. "I destroyed her life."

"No you didn't." Bigby said as he placed his calloused hand on top of Snow's to comfort her. "You said it yourself Victoria had been planning this for centuries, meaning whether or not you signed the the document she would have gone after them anyway the difference would be we'd have 3 dead fables. The only one who's to blame is Victoria and she will pay for what she did." Snow looked up to see Bigby's eyes filled with concern for his friend, she let out a sigh as a small smile formed on her face.

"You're right Bigby, we'll figure this out." Snow said as she regained her composure. "For now all we can do is wait until Victoria shows herself."

"That could be a while, chances are Victoria will be hiding out till the heat dies down." Bigby said as he scratched his chin.

"I know." Snow said, running her hand through her hair when an idea came to her, "But there maybe somewhere she'd go even with everyone looking for her."

"Where?" Bigby asked as he watched Snow reach for the phone, putting it to her hear as she dialed a number he quickly identified, _'The Business Office.'_

"Her son's funeral."


	9. Chapter 8: Death and Warning

**Okay, I'm sorry for taking months with this, it was not my intention but been busy with exams, work and writer's block (along with a mix of procrastination)****. I'll try to keep updating more frequently but I ask only one thing in return: ****PLEASE GIVE ME REVIEWS!**

**Seriously guys I want reviews to know whether I'm doing something good or bad. So please I'm begging you. With that out of the way, comment review time;**

**Lady Asphodelic: Glad you're enjoying the story. Eventually Victoria's motive will be revealed and good to know you're enjoying how Bigby and Snow interact, been trying to keep in context with how they interacted in the game and how I plan this story to continue.**

**Anyway now that that's past, let's continue with the story.**

* * *

"Ready?" Snow looked up from the notes she had in hand, turning to a familiar voice to see Bigby with his usual cigarette in hand. His regular wrinkled shirt and loose tie now semi-covered by a dark blazer that she guessed was a few decades old by how frayed and faded it looked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Snow said quietly as she folded the papers in her hands, putting them into the inner pocket of her black jacket as she and the sheriff made their way towards the lowest level of the Woodlands in silence, save for the constant click of Snow's high heels.

"So how's the kid?"The werewolf broke the silence between them as they entered the lobby, dropping his cigarette on the ground before grinding it under foot. The question wasn't only spoken to end the quiet but also his own curiosity as after Snow had him announce to the Fable community about the funeral later that night he hadn't seen Snow or the infant.

"Okay I guess. After you left I had Boy Blue go down to Webb and Muffet's store to pick up some supplies while we wait for one of the families to confirm. Now though she's staying on the thirteenth floor, Totenkinder has Ozma and Maddy keeping an eye on her in case Victoria tries to get to her."

_'Good plan.'_ Bigby thought, knowing the two witches were among the most powerful besides Totenkinder herself. "Speaking of the witches, have they figured out what spell Victoria's so desperate to cast?" He asked pulling out a cigarette from one if his pockets before lighting it.

Snow sighed and shook her head as the two continued there way down to the lowest floor of the Woodlands, "Still narrowing it down but they're certain it can't be good for anyone."

"Two Fables dead and another being hunted is a clear sign of that." He said with sarcasm as they reached the bottom of the stair and faced a door, the muffled sounds of several voices and a slow playing trumpet told the two they reached their destination.

"True. But for now let's at least give Will and Mary the goodbye they deserve." Snow said as she began opening the door, sending a flood of scents towards the werewolf. "And Bigby, remember to be on your best behavior."

_'Aren't I always.'_

* * *

_'A lot more people than I expected.' _Was the first thing that Snow thought as she entered the normally empty chamber, now filled by a crowd that Snow guessed consisted of most of the residents of Fabletown. As she made her way through the crowd, she picked up a few familiar faces; A green frog hat covering red hair showed where Flycatcher was as he spoke with Jack Horner. Beauty and Beast had taken a spot by one of the farther pillars, seeming to avoid others as Snow caught a glimpse of horns under the fedora Beast was wearing. Snow bit her tongue to keep quiet as she caught sight of bright red hair that belonged to her sister Rose Red, who thankfully was facing away from the deputy mayor as the lesser known sister made light talk with a tall well built man that she recognized as Weyland Smith. Snow looked away from the crowd as she made her way to the reason they were called down here. In front of the Witching Well Boy Blue stood, his usual blue attire now black as he played a mournful tone from his trumpet, by his side stood Dr. Swineheart who seemed to fill in position as an undertaker as on the table by his side where two cloth wrapped bodies. _Will and Marian._

As Snow and Bigby approached the Well, the scattered conversations began to subside before coming to a halt as the duo stood before what seemed to be most of the Fable community. Snow waited for Blue to finish the song before she took a step forward, her mind running through what she has to say.

"Today we gather here to mourn the loss of two residents of our community, Will Scarlet and Marian Maid." The deputy mayor began to say, her voice echoing along the vast chamber, "This senseless tragedy is felt worse knowing the child left behind by it, now we gather together to not only mourn for the lives taken but to show that whilst they are gone they will never be forgotten." Snow said, hearing muffled agreement from the crowd. _'Doing good, keep breathing.' _"Now let us take a moment of silence before some of their close friends come forward to say a few words."

Snow bowed her head slightly as silence fell across the chamber, the echoing silence only serving to highlight the mood as Snow was certain she heard someone crying among the crowd. But it was not crying that ended the silence, no it was a slow, steady sound of clapping that broke the silence.

Snow looked up to see the crowd parting followed by gasps as the source of the clapping stood in front of her and Bigby, now wearing a black mourners shroud and head dress stood Victoria, her hands in front as she continued clapping, a small smile just visible behind the veil that covered her eyes.

"Splendid performance Miss White, just splendid. But I have a few things to say, after all I am family to the deceased."

For a brief while a shocked silence hanged around them all, quickly broken by Bigby as he stood before Victoria standing between her and Snow, "Victoria Miller, I'm placing you under arrest." He growled out as he kept his eyes on the witch in front of him.

The quiet mutterings of the crowd rose in spirit as Victoria remained unnaturally calm, "On what charges?"

"Breaking the Fabletown compact by stepping foot within Fabletown proper, illegal practice of magic, possession of private Fabletown documents, the murder of Marian and Will, th-" Snow began to list before being interrupted by Victoria, "I only killed Marian darling, Will killed himself." She spoke , venom thick as she said Will's name but that didn't stop Snow.

"The murder of Marian Maid, the attempted murder of the sheriff and deputy mayor and finally conspiracy to commit the murder of Alice Scarlet, your granddaughter." Snow concluded, her several gasps from the crowd as many members moved away from Victoria.

"Anything you'd like to add?" Bigby added as he stepped closer to Victoria.

Victoria just stood and smiled, chuckling to herself as if she heard a joke. "Well I am impressed that you think you can stop me." She said as she swiftly raised her hand to the sheriff in a stopping motion, a blue energy wrapping around the occupants of the chamber seeming to freeze them in place. "Now I'm not here to fight just to pay my respects," She walked past the sheriff, now in midair as he was about to tackle her, before taking a spot by one of the covered corpses as she placed a rose on it's chest. "And finally a message to you all," She turned and stood by Snow White taking a similar stance as the previous speech maker, "The child stands between me and what I desire, because of that I will destroy all who keep her from me. Blood red smoke began to rise from her feet and envelope her as she coldly stated, "Let my son's corpse be a warning to you." before she disappeared. Sound quickly filling the lower level as the crowd became unfrozen, Hushed talks and panicked voices filled the chamber along with the dull thud as the sheriff collided with the uneven ground.

Bigby groaned and cursed under his breath before getting to his feet and dashing to the door faster than most thought possible, the werewolf practically crashing through the door as he began climbing up the stairs to the thirteenth floor, remembering Victoria's words and dreading what he might come across.


End file.
